Monday, February 7, 2011

Intelligent Design vs. Biblical Creationism (a concise comparison)

A quick search via google found very little in the way of a reasonable comparison and nothing concise.  I’ve attempted to provide this as a Christian who believes that the literal account of creation from Genesis is true, wanting something simple to reference people to, and out of frustration at those who argue that ID is Creationism.  

One note that is important in the extreme:  While any form of belief in a creator god must be labelled as creationism, including Intelligent Design (ID), there is a clear distinction between the broad sweep of the creationism of many different religions and the Biblical Creationism that is most commonly under attack by evolutionists.

It is just not fair or honest to insist that ID is Biblical Creationism under another name.  While there may be some overlap, as there is between even Biblical Creationism and Evolution, this doesn’t mean they are the same thing.  The debate should be shifting towards refining the points of contention and not just slinging words around to muddy the waters and slur opponents positions unjustly.

The Comparison
Intelligent Design
Biblical Creationism
Is an “old” earth compatible?YesNo
Is “Irreducible Complexity” a 
necessary argument for 
your position?
YesNo
Is the theory of Evolution 
compatible with your 
position?
Yes
(ID offers an explanation 
for many gaps in 
evolution too)
No
Does your position require 
the Bible to be true
NoYes
Does your position rely on 
a different interpretation of 
much of the same 
evidence that the theory 
of Evolution and “old earth 
geology” uses?
NoYes



A Word on The Debate
It is the final two points where the debate needs to take place between Biblical Creationism and the current Atheist/Secular Humanist position.  Anything else is missing the mark.

The questions for debate are:
1. Is the bible true?
2. Can the evidence be interpreted in a reasonable but different way?